What Does Blake Lively *Really* Put in Her Hair? We Investigate.

When we first discovered that Blake Lively’s secret to her golden, flowing locks was a jar of mayonnaise, we were thrilled. Finally. A celeb with a beauty routine we can actually afford. (Sorry, Kim KW, we’re not quite millionaires yet). But then we were skeptical — surely Blake uses shampoo and conditioner like the rest of us commoners. We decided to investigate everything that Blake Lively has ever reported to let touch her golden locks, and our results may surprise you.

Natural Products

1. Sea Water ($0): While California may be in a drought, sea water is still free, so props to Blake for making use of Mother Nature’s offerings. She told Style.com, “My hair is always better in California than it is in New York, so I got a big water jug and I filled it with ocean, which is probably a really bad idea, but I would put it on my hair, and actually, it worked. It’s salt and it’s water and it makes your hair a little crunchier and holds it a little better.” (Photo via CBS Paramount Television)

2. Mayonnaise ($4): As we recently learned, before Blake styles her hair with salt water, she uses mayonnaise to protect the ends of her hair. She told Byrdie, “My mom taught me this really great beauty tip. She used to put oil or mayonnaise on the bottom half of her hair before she would shower. That way, when she would shampoo, the soap wouldn’t strip the bottom of the hair and dry it out, making it brittle.” (Photo via Mike Coppola/Getty)

3. Coconut Oil ($8): Hmmm…. here’s where things start to get a little fishy. Blake alsotold Vogue and The Cut that she puts coconut oil on the tips of her hair, saying, “Something my mom does that is kind of cool: She puts coconut oil on the ends of her hair. When you shampoo your hair, you’re trying to get the oil out of your roots, but you really want the rest of your hair to maintain its moisture. When you put coconut oil on the ends, the shampoo gets oil out of the roots, but also protects the ends.” Well which is it, Blake? We’re confused about whether we should be using coconut oil or mayonnaise, but one thing is certain: We need to kidnap Blake Lively’s mom for all her beauty secrets.

Shampoo + Conditioner

4. Kérastase Bain Elixir Ultime Shampoo ($42): It’s true: A lady cannot live on mayonnaise (or coconut oil) alone. Blake spilled the beans on her go-to shampoo products, telling Marie Claire that this Kérastase shampoo was her favorite. “Divine. I have every single one of their shampoos and rotate which one I use — it’s best if you don’t oversaturate your hair with one product.” While one bottle will run you $42, if Blake has their entire collection (11 more varieties, $432), that puts her shampoo value at $474. Forget a shampoo budget that big — we need a bathtub that can hold that many hair products.

5. Goldwell Dualsenses Color Detangling Conditioner ($10): Blake also told Marie Clairethat this is her preferred conditioner, saying, “Rona O’Connor [of Lukaro Salon in Beverly Hills] has been my hair colorist since Gossip Girl. Rona’s such an artist — she’ll just put up my hair in a bun, then take it out and it looks great. She introduced me to this conditioner.”

Masks + Detanglers

6. Kérastase Reflection Chroma Captive Hair Mask ($67): We have to hand it to Blake — she’s nothing but consistent when it comes to her store-bought hair products, and she’s been crediting Kérastase for her shiny locks as early as 2007. Blake revealed to Hello! magazine that Kérastase’s deep conditioner hair mask keeps her mane hydrated and helps her achieve her favorite hair look: “full and relaxed.” (via Daily Mail)

7. Wella Professionals Brilliance Treatment Hair Mask ($12): Given that Blake has at least 11 shampoos stashed in her bathroom closet, we weren’t surprised to find another hair mask on her must-have list. She told Marie Claire that she loves Wella’s mask because “It smells delicious!”

8. Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray ($42): We dug deep into the archives for this beauty tidbit and uncovered an interview with Liz Reilly, lead stylist for Gossip Girl. “Spray the texture at the root of dry hair for a nice lift and hold,” she told InStyle.com in 2012. We’re betting this is what Blake turns to when she doesn’t have access to that jug of seawater.

Conclusion: Blake Lively is… just like us? If you’ve got a bathroom cabinet overflowing with hair products, then it seems like you and Blake might have something in common. Of course, when you total up the cost of all of Blake’s fave products, the bill comes out to $617, but considering that includes over 10 bottles of shampoo, that’s not even that crazy. While we may never know what she actually puts on the ends of her hair, we’re definitely one step closer to solving this mystery.

Would you use these Blake-approved products on your hair? Got a celeb you’d like us to investigate? Let us know in the comments below!